Star Wars: What Greedo Looks Like In Real Life
The "Star Wars" franchise features numerous alien creatures created with incredible costumes and puppetry. One of the most recognizable non-human characters is Greedo, who famously has a deadly encounter with Han Solo (Harrison Ford) in "Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope." However, Paul Blake, who, alongside Maria De Aragon, brought Greedo to life, obviously looks nothing like the otherworldly bounty hunter he portrayed.
Greedo might have a short-lived role in the original "Star Wars" trilogy, but the Rodian bounty hunter plays a key part in one of the biggest questions in pop culture history: "Who shot first?" While Greedo, a green-skinned alien with large black eyes, dies in his attempts to capture Solo, there's long been debate about whether he fired his blaster before the notorious smuggler did. Future releases of the film made Solo and Greedo's showdown more confusing, as a newer version changed the scene entirely, with updates in 1997's special edition showing the latter clearly shooting first. Greedo returned as Anakin's friend in live-action in a deleted scene of "Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace."
Despite several top actors playing small roles as aliens and stormtroopers through the different installments of "Star Wars" — including Simon Pegg as Jakku junk boss Unkar Plutt in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" and Tom Hardy in a cut cameo as an unnamed Stormtrooper in "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" — Blake wasn't a household name. He landed the role partly because of a friendship with C-3PO's actor, Anthony Daniels, whom he worked with on the BBC children's show "Jackanory." Additionally, De Aragon also donned the suit as Greedo for additional footage shots in "A New Hope" — and famously claimed George Lucas saved her life after she couldn't breathe while wearing the mask.
What else have Blake and De Aragon been in?
Before getting the part of Greedo in "Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope," Blake appeared in the soap opera "Crossroads" as Colin Sands. He played several minor roles in film and television, including appearances in more British projects, such as "Hennessy," "Jackanory Playhouse," and "Clayhanger." Following his role in "Star Wars," Blake's career didn't exactly blow up. Over the next 20 years, he appeared on several British television shows, primarily one-episode stints, including "The Devil's Crown," "Down to Earth," and "Rosamunde Pilcher." Blake also acted on the stage, with his theatre credits including playing the titular role in a U.K. adaptation of William Shakespeare's "Macbeth."
Blake never became a star actor, even after playing an iconic costumed creature in Greedo. Still, his significant part in one of the most memorable "Star Wars" scenes entrenches him firmly in pop culture history. As a result, he remains busy on the convention circuit to this day, which isn't bad considering his small amount of screen time as Greedo and the fact that he landed the role based on his friendship with a cast member.
Known for a handful of exploration features in the '70s like "Love Me Like I Do," Maria De Aragon has similarly had a quiet post-"Star Wars" career, appearing in "City on Fire" in 1979 and "Street Wars" in 1991. Not much is known about De Aragon's status at the time of writing, but her IMDb page lists that she currently lives in Quebec, Canada.